Musings and Sometimes Rants about the non-equal status of Fathers in Family Law and Parenting. Additionally periodic comparisons to the treatment of men compared to women in other areas including health care.

Friday, October 23, 2009

With much fanfare, the Liberal Women’s Caucus – 39 female Liberal MPs and senators - has released their 40-page Pink Book, Volume III.

Clearly a great deal of midnight oil was consumed by the Pink Book writers in agonizing lucubrations about what Canadian women really, really want from their government. Keen political social observers nearly fell over in shock at the caucus’ revolutionary recommendation that Canadian women deserve a “compassionate Canada” where women can achieve “economic and social equality.”

Throwing caution to the winds, and with supreme leaderly instincts to the fore, Michael Ignatieff reacted swiftly to the report, unequivocally endorsing the heady challenge. Having decided to – as the spin doctors say – get out ahead of the issue, Mr. Ignatieff delivered a thundering rebuke to the received notion that Conservative Party supporters want a weak, insecure future for all Canadian women, by bravely announcing that the Pink Book is “a clear statement of principle that we want a Canada that provides a strong, secure future for all Canadians.” Take that, Stephen Harper and your anti-female minions.

The 22-year-old mother drank a bottle of wine and snorted cocaine with friends after putting her daughters, aged three and four, and their brothers, aged one and three months, to bed.

But soon afterwards she left the children to fend for themselves and went out to carry on drinking at a series of house parties and bars, not returning until 10.30pm the following day.

Police alerted by neighbours found the house littered with empty beer cansand bottles and a scene of 'filth and disorder' inside.

They discovered the one-year-old boy in a urine-soaked cot in a bedroom on his own.

His younger brother was found crying in a travel cot, with no blankets, and with a soiled nappy.

He had dried milk and sick over his clothing and was grey, docile and dehydrated.

The three-year-old girl had managed to dress herself, while her older sister, who was the most distressed, had pushed chairs up against kitchen cupboards to try to reach some food because she was so hungry.

There were also children's footprints in baby milk powder on the floor where the oldest child had tried to mix a bottle feed for her younger brother.

Yesterday the mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was warned she faces jail after admitting four charges of child neglect.

She sat with her head bowed throughout the hearing at Preston Crown Court which was told that all four youngsters have since been taken into care and see their mother only on supervised visits.

Judge Norman Wright granted the woman bail while reports from social services are prepared. She will be sentenced next month.

An earlier hearing was told that the incident occurred in July after the woman, from Blackburn, put her children to bed in the early evening.

She drank a bottle of wine before a group of friends and strangers arrived. They carried on drinking and began snorting cocaine.

Leaving the children asleep upstairs, the woman then left with the group for another house party before moving on to several bars in Blackburn town centre. She eventually returned the following night.

Catherine Allen, prosecuting, told the earlier hearing before magistrates in Blackburn: 'The children had been trying to gain access to the cupboards because they were hungry.

'Inside the house there were empty cans, bottles, broken furniture and the kitchen knives could have been accessed. Any of the children could have been seriously injured or worse. They had no access to food or drink.'

One neighbour said last night that the community had been left 'deeply shocked' by the case.

'It must take the worst kind of mum in the country to do that to your kids,' the neighbour added.

The case comes days after figures released in the wake of the Baby P scandal revealed a shocking rise in child neglect.

Two serious case reviews - inquiries launched following the death of a child where abuse or neglect are suspected - have been launched every week over the past six months.

About Me

I am Politically active and right of centre on most issues with the odd exception such as legalization of "Mary Jane".
I advocate on changes to Family Law - an incredibly dysfunctional arena where parents are pitted against one another and children are the victims.
My picture will sometimes show me as a younger man simply because I like them.

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Leading causes of Injury to Women 2006

In 2006, unintentional falls were the leading cause of nonfatal injury among women of every age group, and rates generally increased with age. Women aged 65 years and older had the highest rate of injury due to unintentional falls (59.7 per 1,000 women), while slightly more than 19 per 1,000 women aged 18–34 and 35–44 years experienced fall-related injuries. Unintentional injuries sustained as motor vehicle occupants were the second leading cause of injury among 18- to 34-year-olds (18.7 per 1,000), while unintentional overexertion was the second leading cause of injury among women aged 35–44 and 45–64 years (13.7 and 9.3 per 1,000, respectively). Among women aged 65 years and older, being unintentionally struck by or against an object was the second leading cause of injury (5.7 per 1,000).

Injury related Emergency Department Visits

Unintentional and intentional injuries each represented a higher proportion of emergency department (ED) visits for men than women in 2005. Among women and men aged 18 years and older, unintentional injuries accounted for 19.9 and 27.5 percent of ED visits, respectively, while intentional injuries, or assault, represented 1.4 and 2.7 percent of visits, respectively. Among both women and men, unintentional injury accounted for a higher percentage of ED visits among those living in non-metropolitan areas, while adults living in metropolitan areas had a slightly higher percentage of ED visits due to intentional injury.